A Life Worth Living
by nerdyprincesa
Summary: When Callie is left with nothing but hard choices and a child to raise on her own, how can she find happiness and love in a life that she never planned to live?
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

Callie peered down at the object in her shaking hands as a wave of emotion slapped her hard in the face. Happiness…confusion…fear…anxiety…happiness. This was really happening, this was real and the two little red lines staring up at her made no mistake.

_I'm having a baby. I'm going to be a mother. Oh God, I'm going to be a mother!_

She steadied her tanned, shaking hand and looked at the clock on the wall through tear-filled eyes. _4:17_. She had until 5 o'clock to prepare herself for her girlfriend to come home. Tonight had to be special, they were having a baby and that wasn't news to share lightly. Dropping the plastic stick into the trash can, she exited the bathroom and made her way to the kitchen to start on her famous chicken picatta. While she cooked her mind raced, unable to control all of the thoughts and emotions swirling inside her hyperactive mind. She had wanted this forever, always dreaming of raising a child of her own. Now she was about to make her dream come true, granted she was missing the male part of the equation, a fact which her parents had yet to accept. But her child would have two loving, excited parents, two mothers that would give their child the unconditional love that was reserved only for one's children.

A soft smile graced the pink lips of the Latina as she thought about a beautiful baby boy or girl wrapping their arms around her neck and her kissing their little nose, the child's smile, so like her own, making her heart melt. In nine months, nine long and surely anxiety-filled months, she would hold a tiny baby in her arms, a part of herself, and an integral part of a future that she hoped would soon become a reality with her girlfriend of 2 years.

The sound of a door closing brought her out of her futuristic thoughts and back to reality just as a pair of thin arms wrapped around her waist tentatively and she smiled, turning in her lover's arms to look into a pair of ice-blue eyes.

"Chicken picatta, huh? What did I do to deserve this?"

Callie heard something in the blonde's deep voice, something out of place and almost hesitant, but chose to ignore it as the reason for the special dinner made it to the forefront of her mind yet again, setting her heart and mind into another dizzying frenzy of emotion.

"Oh, nothing. Can't a woman just make a nice dinner for her girlfriend?"

Callie kissed her lover's thin lips tenderly, but was surprised and slightly taken aback when she felt no attempt from the blonde to return the kiss. Once again she felt that something was different, something was definitely missing. There was no witty remark from her girlfriend, no feeling of love in the kiss, no warmth radiating from the woman standing in front of her.

"Well..." the blonde forced a smile and walked away to take a seat at the table as Callie brought the plates to the table and sat down across from the blonde, still confused. "It smells lovely and I'm sure it tastes just as great."

Callie always prided herself on her ability to make kick-ass meals, but tonight she started to feel nothing other than dread as she looked down at the food.

_Was it the news she was about to share? No, it couldn't be, she was beyond thrilled for the new edition on the way. Then what was it that was bothering her?_

She looked up into the ice-blue eyes watching her curiously as a small smile faded from her lips and was replaced by a hard set mouth that meant business.

_That's what it is…why does she look like that? What's wrong with her?_ _Maybe she will cheer up once she hears about the baby…_

Callie shrugged off the nagging feeling as the two women started to eat and engage in aimless chatter about everything and nothing and soon she started to nervously pick at what remained of the delicious chicken. Excitement and anxiety threatened to reveal her news in the most ungraceful way and she could not let her moment be ruined. This was a special moment, a life changing moment and she wanted to do it right. After taking a shaky breath, she started to speak and was taken off guard as the blonde started to speak at the same time.

"I wanted to tell you…"

"There is something that I need to say…"

Both women smiled and laughed nervously at each other and Callie motioned for her partner to speak first, deciding to prepare herself a little more for the words that she was about to say. But when she looked into her partner's eyes, she saw something that scared her…what was it? Fear, sadness, or worse yet, nothing?

This was definitely not how she wanted this night to go. The two women had been arguing almost constantly for the past two months and Callie could never seem to understand what caused the sudden change in her loving, understanding girlfriend. Things between them had been great until her girlfriend came back from a medical conference in Philadelphia. The other woman had become…colder and slightly less lively, unreadable, and sad almost. Callie just wanted a break from the arguing and thought that tonight she would get it. If this baby didn't change things then nothing would, this should be the happiest day of their lives.

A thin, pale hand covered Callie's suddenly and Callie jumped slightly at the contact, brought out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry." The words were spoken so softly that Callie thought that maybe she had only imagined them coming from her girlfriend's lips.

"Um…for what?" Callie tried to meet her lover's eyes, but the contact was lacking as the older woman's eyes stayed glued to their touching hands.

"For the arguing, for the way I have acted lately. It isn't fair to you and I apologize."

Callie sat still, surprised that an apology was actually being made since she never, ever received an apology for the other woman's actions. She nodded slightly, willing her to go on with what she was saying. After an awkward silence that seemed to stretch on for a lifetime, cold, blue eyes finally melt with warm, chocolate ones and Callie's face fell as the emotion in the woman's eyes became painfully clear. _Guilt_. It consumed the blonde's eyes then quickly changed to something else…_apathy_?

The raven-haired woman opened her mouth to speak, starting to become worried by the looks she was being given, but was silenced as the other woman started to speak again.

"Callie, I-" a deep breath punctuated the start of her speech. "When I went to Philadelphia, I ran into Jennifer and-"

Callie felt her ears start to ring as realization dawned on her. Her girlfriend's ex, Jennifer…she should have known. She should have seen it coming. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she braced herself for what was coming next.

"Jack was with her. He was so cute, so smart." A bitter smile crossed the blonde's lips as she continued. "He was so frail."

Callie looked into the woman's eyes with surprise, waiting for an explanation. Jack was her girlfriend and ex's son, two years old now if she remembered correctly. They never spoke of Jack as it hurt her girlfriend to think about why she had to leave them. She knew she missed Jack, but her girlfriend wanted another child, their child. And little did she know, Callie was carrying that child as she spoke.

"Callie…Jack is sick." Blue eyes again met with brown and sadness shone full force in her eyes. "He has leukemia." The blonde's eyes started to fill with tears. "He isn't expected to live too much longer and I-"

Reaching out to touch a fallen tear on her lover's face, Callie felt her heart clenching with indecisiveness. _What is she trying to tell me? What does this mean for our child?_

"I need to be with him Callie. I abandoned him once and I can't let him die without his mother. He needs me and I need him to know that I love him and I'm there for him."

Callie nodded slowly, absorbing the words that were fresh on her ears. Jack did need her, but why now? Why when their child was now growing inside her? She looked to the sky as if questioning a higher power about this awful stroke of bad luck. She felt sick at the thought of her child's other mother having to focus her attention on her other son, rather than their child. Selfish? Yes. But she wanted nothing more than for this child, their child, to be a blessing to them. And now it all is happening at the worst moment.

"Why didn't you tell me before now? You went to that conference two months ago!" Callie felt her voice starting to rise just slightly, irritated that she was just now finding this out. "Your son is deathly ill and you kept it from me?"

The blonde looked down in guilt and blushed a light shade of red. "We were going to focus on having our own child. I didn't want this to stand in the way. I wanted us to be happy."

"Happy? Are you kidding me? Ever since you came back, I knew something was wrong with you. We have fought every single day, over things that aren't worth fighting over! Don't you think if you had just told me the truth, maybe this wouldn't have happened? Maybe we'd be happy now and maybe you could have been there for Jack before now."

Callie felt her anger start to dissolve as more tears slipped down her partner's cheek and the blonde spoke softly.

"I need to leave to be with him."

Callie nodded and took her lover's hand. "We can both go, I will get time off of work and we can visit for as long as you need. I know how much Jack means to you."

Sad eyes met Callie's and the woman shook her head.

"No, Callie. I need to go alone. He's my son, not yours."

Callie felt a sting at the words her partner spoke, but shook her head, understanding the truth.

"When will you come back?"

Her lover sighed and met Callie's eyes.

"I'm not…I'm not coming back."

Suddenly the world stopped, Callie immediately felt her heart start to race in a panic. _She wasn't coming back? What? Why?_

Seeing the pain she had just caused her lover, the blonde released Callie's hand and fought to say the words she needed to say.

"Jack needs me, but Callie," the blonde bit her lip "I love you…but I am still in love with Jennifer. I never stopped loving her. They need me and I need them, Cal. I'm sorry." The confession sounded strange on her own lips, finally being verbally voiced, but she knew without a doubt that it was true. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, no matter how much she knew she was hurting Callie…she was still in love with her ex and her son. She needed to go back to them, especially now when they needed her the most.

Callie stepped away from her girlfriend, or, now ex-girlfriend, with shock written all over her face.

_This could not be happening, no, not now, not when their baby was finally becoming a reality. The baby…oh God…what about the baby?_

Her words came out slowly and hurt was plain in her soft voice. "What about us? We need you too."

The blonde looked confused for a moment as Callie spoke and rested a hand on her stomach. Suddenly realization hit her and she was torn.

"You…you're pregnant? With our child?" She watched as Callie nodded, tears staining her caramel cheeks.

A long silence filled the room until finally the blonde spoke again, holding her head a little less high than she had moments before and met her now ex-girlfriend's eyes, the woman carrying their child. A war was being fought in her head and she had a huge decision to make…stay with Callie and their newly conceived child…or go be with the child and mother that so desperately needed her, that she still loved so deeply.

"Callie…I'm so happy. This child is a blessing, a wonderful new little child. And I would love to raise this child with you."

Callie felt a glimmer of hope as she heard those words, but her hope was soon shattered.

"But Jack and Jennifer need me. I love them Callie and I can't live knowing that I abandoned them twice when I never should have left them in the first place. I love you Callie. I will always love you, but I can't stay. I'm so so deeply sorry. And this child…our child…"

"NO!" Callie cut off the woman's words and watched the blonde recoil like she had been hit. _Good!_

"This is not _our _child anymore. This is MY child."

Bitterness laced Callie's voice as her lover's choice cut her deeper than anything ever had. Here she was carrying their child and her lover was leaving for another woman…another child…another life. Tears cut ragged streams down her face as she shook her head in disbelief. Just like that, her life was being broken in two. George left cheated on her, and now this…now she was being left for an ex. Callie understood that Jack needed her lover, but why did she have to leave for good? Why was this happening to her?

"I'm so sorry Callie…I really am."

Callie shook her head and sobbed in a stunned silence as she watched her ex gather her belongings and take once last look at her before walking out of their apartment and out of her life. She couldn't believe that this has just happened. She would wake up and it would all just be a dream right?

She shook her head hard and angrily cried until her body hurt from the strain, then collapsed on her bed, alone and scared. She was going to be a mother…alone…she didn't know if she could do this alone. It was all too much and she wanted to just sleep it off and wake up in a better life. As she fell asleep slowly, she rested a hand on her stomach, the reality and weight of the situation settling in finally. In a matter of minutes, _Baby Torres-Hahn_ had just become _Baby Torres_. She was scared, terrified of the future. But she knew one thing was true…_Baby Torres_ was worth fighting for.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

Author's note: Alright, so I know that I have done a very bad thing by starting a new fic when I never finished my last one. For those of you that read my first fic, I apologize for stopping to write. Please, please don't kill me! I had school to take care of as I prepare to enter into the crazy world of college and I also met my beautiful girlfriend that has completely changed my life for the better, so this story is dedicated to the glorious Alejandra.

As for this chapter, it may not be very exciting, but it's necessary for the rest of the story, so I hope you continue to hold on and enjoy the rest! As always, reviews are appreciated to help me know what I am doing right or wrong. Enjoy guys!

_**Chapter 2**_

Callie woke slowly, her eyes red-rimmed and raw from tears that refused to slow down after the front door slammed last night.

_I'm sorry._

Erica's words rang loud and unwelcome in her head and she closed her eyes again, wishing the pain away. Last night did not go as planned at all, not by a long shot. She knew something was wrong, she could her it in her ex's voice. _Her ex._

Fresh tears started and Callie quickly swiped them away. But these tears were different from last night. Last night she cried from the shock of seeing her life start falling apart before her eyes. Today she is crying from hurt. Her heart had been shattered into thousands of irreplaceable pieces. For two years she had devoted her time and her heart, all of her love to the woman that she thought would be with her forever. They had talked only briefly of marriage and though she knew the idea would not come to fruition until years from now, she still clung to the hope that they would indeed be together. Now the one person who had stole her heart had ripped it out of her chest in a matter of minutes and threw it back at her. It was a big 'screw you' to everything she thought her life was.

Sitting up slowly in bed, she brought her hands to her head, a dull ache settling in behind her eyes and she knew a headache was about to take her over. She made her way to the kitchen and swallowed two painkillers and looked around her apartment. Everything her eyes settled on was a painful reminder of last night. The dishes from dinner last night sat cleaned in the drain, the table was still set with a nice tablecloth and a vase of roses in the middle and she bit her lip to hold back more tears. She needed to get through this…she had to be strong because it wasn't just about her anymore. It was about the tiny being growing inside her.

She tenderly touched her stomach and rubbed small circles over the fabric of her shirt, the shirt she had collapsed in on her bed, too tired and lost to change.

"It'll be alright little one. Momma is here for you, we are strong." Smiling softly to herself she patted her tummy. "We are Torres' after all."

The smile quickly faded from her face as a wave of nausea hit her and she hurried to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before doubling over and emptying the contents of last night's dinner. _Just lovely._

After a few minutes of calming her nausea, she searched for her cell phone and felt a flicker of hope, wishing Erica's name would be flashing as a new message. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the phone and…nothing. She sighed and shook her head. Erica was gone. She needed to accept that. She needed to figure out where her life was about to go and how she would take care of the little one inside her. She was an adult, she was a surgeon, and a hell of a good one at that. But now her life seemed so uncertain, but she knew that she couldn't do this alone. Sitting on her bed for hours, she glanced at her phone absent mindedly, chewing her lip as she thought things over. Finally she ran a hand through her hair and dialed a familiar number.

"Mark?" Callie's voice surprised her, coming out as raspy and broken and her best friend immediately knew something was wrong.

"Callie, what is it? Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Mark's questions caused Callie to smile bitterly. She was hurt all right, but probably not how he thought.

"Mark…Erica-" she took a shallow breath and shook her head. "Erica is gone. She left me." The words stung as the thought about Erica's hasty escape last night. "Jack is sick and she went to be with them in Philadelphia."

Mark stayed quiet despite the building anger in his chest. He knew his friend needed to talk and judging from her last statement, she had a lot to say and he was the only one she had left.

"She isn't coming back, Mark. She's gone, she was sure to let me know that. Things have been falling apart between us for a while, but I thought the baby-"

At this Mark stopped her, trying to make sense of what his best friend was saying.

"Baby? Callie, no…"

Callie nodded, even though she knew Mark couldn't see the action, couldn't see the distress on her face. Mark knew Callie had been trying to get pregnant for a while, she and Erica had decided that it would be good for them, and that they were at a point in their lives where they wanted to start a family together. And now she had walked out on Callie?

"That bitch." Mark muttered and scratched his face. Callie was alone and she was pregnant.

"Cal, come over to my place. Brings some stuff with you, clothes and what not." Mark knew what he needed to do. He needed to be there for his friend because from the sound of Callie sobbing on the other end of the phone, he knew that things were not going to get better anytime soon.

Despite the tears streaming down her face, Callie smiled a little and spoke quietly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Mark now is not the time to hook up with me. I know I'm the little vulnerable and broken woman, but keeping it in your pants would be a good idea right now."

Mark chuckled softly at his friend's witty remark and he shook his head.

"Once upon a time, Torres, but not anymore. Come on over, I am going to order to take-out and it'll be here soon." Mark paused, trying to think of the right words to console his broken friend. "I'm here for you, Cal. You are gonna get through this and you won't do it alone. You are a Torres after all."

Callie found herself giggling as she started to pack some things into a big suitcase and shook her head, thinking of how Mark's words reflected her own earlier in the day.

"Thanks Mark. You're great, you know that?"

Mark laughed quietly and smiled a little. "I've been told that a few times, now get your ass over here, Torres. I need to meet that little Torres."

Callie felt her heart flutter at the thought of her baby and she smiled big for the first time today. Saying their goodbyes, the two hung up the phone and Callie took a last look around her apartment, glad that she would get to leave the memories behind for a few days.

Callie was greeted with a huge hug from her best friend and she felt her resolve start to melt as Mark's protective embrace made her feel that maybe, if only for this second, everything would actually be alright.

Their hug was interrupted as a knock at the door signaled the arrival of their dinner and Mark paid the man, bringing two boxes of Chinese food and sitting them on the coffee table as Callie laid her suitcase along the back wall.

"Torres, you can sleep in the guest room, put your stuff in there."

Callie obeyed and then took a seat on Mark's black leather sofa; its comfort was a welcome to her weary body, tired from crying and worrying and wishing that this was all a dream, a really bad dream.

Quietly, Mark settled in next to Callie and handed her a box of food, taking one for himself and started eating slowly, knowing Callie would talk when she was ready. He could see the tired circles under her eyes and the puffiness surrounding her brown orbs. She was beautiful, loving, strong, intelligent, and kick-ass. He shook his head, wondering how anyone could ever walk out on her. A new round of anger flared up in him and he chewed his food vigorously, trying to keep his thoughts to himself. Cursing Erica's name at the top of his lungs would surely not help Callie at all, so he calmed himself and looked down at his food until Callie finally started to speak, trying to explain everything without letting salty tears drip into her food.

"Jack has leukemia. She found out when she went to that conference two months ago."

Mark nodded slowly, knowing all too well which conference his friend was referring to. Ever since Erica returned, everyone could see that things were different with the woman, but only Mark knew how much it was affecting Callie. She sat on this very couch many times before, or sought Mark out at the hospital, pulling him into an on-call room to tell him how she and Erica had fought the night before. Every day was the same, the arguments never ended and Mark knew that something was bound to go wrong. Callie put her heart out there to Erica. She was the first woman that she had ever dated and she made sacrifices to be with the woman that she had fallen in love with during their happy friendship. But now she was gone, the woman with eyes to match the ice in her heart had left Callie alone and defeated, and carrying a child.

"She wants to be with them, she said that she couldn't abandon them again like she had done once before." Callie chewed her food and then stopped eating.

"You know, I should have seen this coming. She left Jennifer a few years ago, right after Jack was born. Jennifer had cheated on her and it was too much for her when she found out that she had cheated while her fiancée was pregnant with their child."

Callie shook her head, deep in thought and sighed heavily, looking out of the glass doors that led to Mark's small balcony.

"What did I do wrong, Mark?" Callie felt broken and confused and her words reflected her heart. "I never cheated on her, I loved her like I have never loved anyone else. We were happy for so long. She loved me…well I thought she did. But she said that she never stopped loving Jennifer and Jack. So-" she slumped her shoulders and set her food aside. "The whole time she was with me, her heart was somewhere else. I knew about Jennifer and Jack, but we never talked about them. All this time I was just her experiment, her way of trying to heal a broken heart."

Hating to see the pain clear on Callie's face, Mark reached out and rested a hand on the black-haired woman. "Cal…" Mark chose his words carefully, trying to avoid further upsetting his friend.

"I know that this isn't easy for you. I know you loved her and maybe you still do." He sighed and paused. "But if she said she is gone for good, if she made it clear that Jack and Jennifer are more important to her than you and-" he gestured to her stomach. "Then you have to let her go. It's not going to do any good wishing she'd come back, spending night after night hoping that she will just re-appear on your doorstep. Chances are if she was stupid enough to leave you, then she isn't smart enough to come back." 

Callie nodded, taking her friend's words in. It still stung, the memory was too fresh to push out of her mind like it never happened. But as she sat thinking about Mark's words for a few minutes, she knew he was right. As much as she wanted to think he was wrong, and that after a few days Erica would realize her error and come running back to her, she knew that Erica's words were the final words of their relationship. Jack really did need Erica, and she understood that, but it didn't dull the pain of her absence. It was time to move on, and though it wouldn't happen overnight, she would pull through. She had Mark and she had her baby.

Mark watched Callie's eyes light up as she sat thinking quietly and he touched her stomach lightly.

"So…tell me more about this little one that's gonna be the next great plastic surgeon."

Callie smiled softly and shook her head, thinking about the little one growing inside her, and then her face fell slightly. Her little miracle would be raised alone, and she couldn't stand the thought of being a failure to her daughter or son.

"I'm scared Mark. I can't do this alone. I am not ready to do this alone. I thought I was going to have Erica, that our child would have two loving parents," she cringed as she thought of the baby as 'their baby'. "But now this baby only has me, they only have one mother who has no idea how to even be a mother."

A hand rested on Callie's thigh and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"You aren't alone, Torres. You have me. And I know that I may not be the best father-like figure, but I don't have to be that for your child. I can be a friend who won't leave you when you need help the most," Mark nodded, knowing his words were laced with bitterness towards Erica. After a pause, he met Callie's eyes. "Stay with me."

"What?" Callie's face twisted in confusion and her word came out as a light laugh.

"Stay here with me. You can have the guest room and we can share my apartment. This place is too big for just me anyways." Mark shrugged, trying to be indifferent about his suggestion, but hoping truly that Callie would accept his offer.

"You will need help, and I don't want you to have to do it alone. So stay with me while you get through this. I will be here to take care of you and the baby."

Callie's questioning eyes met serious and warm eyes and she thought about her options. She could go back to her apartment where every time she looked around she saw Erica inhabiting their old home or she could stay here with Mark and know that she has someone that won't abandon her, someone that will be there as she tries to get through this tough time.

"Alright." She nodded simply and sighed. "I will stay here until I figure out what to do next and get ready for this little life-changing human," she looked down to her stomach and giggled softly. Mark was an amazing friend and she felt herself wrapping her arms once again around the man that was about to save her emotional life.

"Thank you, Mark. I'm so lucky to have you." She felt her heart warm as Mark kissed her cheek softly.

"I will always be here for you, Torres. I don't know what I would do without you quite honestly. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to."

Maybe things would be alright after all. Maybe she could eventually move on and be strong for her unborn child. For love, she couldn't say the same. It would take a long time to love again, that she was sure of. Her mind raced through several thoughts of the future as the two friends sat in comfortable silence until a disturbing thought popped unwanted into her head. Callie scrunched up her face and moved away to look Mark in the eyes.

"And Mark…try to keep the man-whoreishness down while I'm here. I can't have you interrupting my soon-to-be necessary beauty sleep with your," she motioned up and down Mark's body, "extracurricular activities in the middle of the night."

Mark chuckled heartily and shook his head. "I can't make any promises, Torres, but I guess I can try to be quiet for you."

Callie smiled and was about to thank him, but was stopped by Mark again and slapped him hard on the arm for his next words.

"But I can't say the same for the woman that is experiencing the Sloan method."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

_**A/N: Thanks so much for all of your reviews; it's been inspiring me to continue writing. Like most of you know now, the mystery blonde was Erica, and now she is out of the picture…at least for right now. **_

_**Alright, so now the story starts moving forward a little faster. Since it would take forever to wade through nine months of pregnancy, this chapter is set a few short months before Callie is due to give birth, so there is a significant time jump. To make up for the time of her pregnancy, I've included flash backs of important happenings that are the longer parts in italics. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you love and hate!**_

_**Chapter 3**_

A very pregnant Calliope Torres walked, or rather waddled, through the aisles of a baby superstore, glancing at all that the store had to offer. She was excited, more excited than she had been in months as she perused through the tiny pacifiers and bottles and baby fingernail clippers. She stopped and took the tiny metal clippers in her hand and furrowed her eyebrows.

_Nail clippers for a baby? I never even knew there was such a thing._

Callie laughed quietly to herself and shook her head as she threw the package into a half-full shopping cart.

Things had been going great for the past few months since Erica left. Mark had kept good on his promise to take care of her, maybe even a little too well if she really thought about it. He had often come home with bags full of vitamins and healthy foods that she would have never dreamed of consuming if it weren't for his persistence on keeping her and the baby perfectly healthy. She was thankful that she had him because if it weren't for him, she would still be lost and alone, surely hurting and refusing to move on with her life. Eventually she had moved past the pain of the abrupt break up with Erica and started to look forward greeting the little one inside her. She had fallen in love as soon as she had seen her little one on the ultrasound two months ago.

_Callie laid back against the examination chair, fidgeting nervously with her hospital gown. Today she would see her baby, her little miracle that was growing inside of her womb. She hoped and prayed that everything was normal, that she and the baby were healthy and would continue to be so. She had ultrasounds done before now, but today she would see how her little one was progressing, and hopefully find out its gender. She and Mark had discussed names for the child, both girl and boy, laughing at ridiculous names and choosing some that sounded promising. But she ultimately decided that she would not name the child until later on. _

_Mark rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he stood behind the chair, anxious to see the child that had become a frequent topic of discussion between him and Callie since she moved in a while ago. He knew she was nervous and excited to see her baby and for the first time in a while, he was glad that Erica had left Callie. His friend had not heard a single word from her ex to this day and Mark wanted it to stay that way. This baby meant so much to Callie since she had been trying for almost a year to conceive and now he realized that Erica deserved to be no part of this child's life. Certainly Callie would be better off without the cold-hearted woman._

_A knock at the door broke Mark from his thoughts as a pretty blonde entered the room, smiling warmly at the two people before her. _

"_Hello, I'm Dr. Lucy Fields and I will be taking care of you, Dr. Torres."_

_Callie nodded and shook the woman's hand, smiling a little, her nerves still showing plainly on her face._

"_Anxious to see your baby, Dr Torres?" The blonde picked up on Callie's nervousness, as she had seen it a million times before in other patients._

"_Of course, I'm really excited." Tanned hands clasped together and looked anxiously towards the screen as Dr. Fields maneuvered the wand over the stretched stomach that Callie had come to adore the past few weeks as it grew a little bigger each day._

_After a few attempts to find the child, Dr. Fields smiled and pointed to the screen._

"_There…there is your baby."_

_Callie felt tears well up in her eyes as she looked to the screen and saw her baby for the first time. She could make out little hands and arms, legs and a head. She giggled softly as she noticed that the baby had its hand near its mouth, as if sucking it's thumb. There it was…the little one that had been the center of her thoughts since the day that she found out she was pregnant, the one she worried over every night for weeks until she moved on from Erica and decided that she alone would be a wonderful mother to the little child. She had convinced herself that she could do it alone, but looking at the little life on the screen, she knew that she would need help. This baby was going to rely on her to keep it safe, healthy, and loved. She was responsible for this new little soul in the world and she was thrilled that she would be the one to parent this child, but she was also scared to death of being a failure._

"_Callie…" a voice brought her out of her thoughts as she continued to stare at her child and Mark tapped her shoulder, knowing that she was lost in thought._

"_Sorry, it's just…so beautiful," she smiled a smile that stretched from ear to ear and sighed happily._

"_Would you like to know the gender?" Dr. Fields look expectantly at Callie and the older woman nodded. _

"_Yes, please." Callie waited anxiously as Dr. Fields again moved the wand around her swollen stomach, searching for just the right angle. _

_After what felt like forever, Dr. Fields stopped the wand and studied the screen, then turned to Callie._

"_There you have it…baby boy Torres."_

_Callie laughed in excitement and looked at her baby boy on the ultrasound. A boy…a handful for sure, but she was super excited and immediately felt attached to the little boy as she watched him intently on the screen as he moved just a tad, his hand now away from his mouth. Mark leaned in next to her ear and kissed her cheek. _

"_Congratulations Cal, that boy is going to be one handsome devil."_

_Callie smiled and took Mark's hand in her own. She found herself once again grateful that Mark was so supportive and she squeezed his hand happily as Dr. Fields turned off the machine and printed out a picture of the ultrasound for Callie. _

_That little boy was going to be her whole life in a few short months and she knew that now the task of preparing herself was about to begin. He needed a name, a room, a safe place to call home, clothes, bottles, and a thousand other things that Callie both looked forward to and dreaded acquiring. Baby boy Torres was going to completely change her life the minute he came out of her womb._

"Finding everything that you need, miss?" A voice startled Callie from her memory and she turned quickly to see the source of the voice, her large belly bumping a few bottles off of the shelf and she blushed hard as they hit the ground, causing quite a commotion. She hadn't gotten used to having such a large bump protruding from her body and it had made her very clumsy.

"Oh Dios mio! Lo siento!" She started to bend down to pick the fallen items up, but was stopped as the man speaking to her stopped her and picked the items up instead.

"Don't worry about it, it happens more often than you think." The dark haired man, known by his name tag as David, replaced the bottles on the shelf and looked back to a red-faced Callie, who found herself wondering just how often woman knocked items off of these shelves with their impossibly swollen bellies.

"So, can I help you with anything?" The man smiled shyly, taken with Callie's beauty and gestured to the items on the aisle.

"No, I think I am good actually, thanks David. I'm sorry again for the-" she pointed to the bottles and shrugged.

"It's really not a problem. When are you due, if you don't mind me asking?"

Callie smiled and rubbed her stomach fondly. "About two months from now, December 4th actually."

David nodded, clearly interested in what Callie was saying…or the way she looked, so beautifully pregnant, the woman couldn't tell which it was. After a rather awkward silence, David started bombarding her with more questions and Callie looked around, desperate to find some sort of distraction and way to excuse herself from the man's persistence. Just as David started to laugh at something Callie said and touched Callie's arm to flirt, Mark appeared behind the woman and took her hand in his, sensing that she needed to get away from the annoying man in front of her.

"Hey Cal, I found this really awesome outfit for the little guy," Mark held up an outfit in his free hand and Callie grinned at the sheer cuteness of the outfit. It was a black onsie, with the printed image resembling a tuxedo on the front. The tan woman shook her head and giggled softly, forgetting about David for a moment and took the outfit from Mark to put it in the cart.

"Mark, only you would choose something like this."

David piped in, commenting that it was indeed a good choice of an outfit, and then proceeded to ask a question that surprisingly, was a first for Callie since she had been pregnant.

"So you are the lucky father? I'm sure your son will be beautiful."

Callie started to intervene, "Oh, no no, he's not really, um,-" David looked between Mark and Callie, confused.

"That's right, he's gonna have this handsome face," Mark gestured to his own facial features and squeezed Callie's hand, a silent plead for her to just go along with it. David just nodded, still slightly confused as to why the woman had denied her son's father, but the man had confirmed his parentage.

Mark tugged on Callie's hand and started to back up a little. This man was clearly not wanted and Mark came to Callie's rescue as soon as he saw him start flirting unashamed with the Latina. "Thanks for your help David, surely you helped Callie here find what she needed, now if you will excuse us…" He plastered a bitter smile on his face and turned to walk away hand in hand with Callie, the Latina forcing a fake apologetic smile over her shoulder, David blushing and waving a small wave, calling out softly to Callie, "Best of luck to you, miss."

"Thanks for that," Callie continued looking at the various items around her, putting something in the cart every now and then, adding a quick remark. "Daddy."

"Hey, that kid would be lucky to have me as a father," Mark joked lightly, not knowing that Callie indeed almost wished that he had, in fact, been the father, not some blonde headed, blue eyed man that she chose as a sperm donor to portray Erica. But that can't be changed now, so Mark would just be the "pretend Daddy".

"But it wasn't a problem, that guy was creeping me out from the way he looked at you. I mean come on, no offense, but why in the world would you flirt with a pregnant woman? Obviously she got pregnant by another guy, so why would she possibly want you?"

Mark looked to Callie as she busted out in a fit of giggles and he rolled his eyes. He was happy to see Callie laugh, but he knew that with her crazy mood swings, it wouldn't last long.

"Well, little does he know, it didn't exactly happen that way," She giggled to herself thinking of how she actually got pregnant. Stopping in front of the strollers and glancing at the prices of her favorite choices, she chose two that she liked the best. She whistled softly at a stroller priced at more than what she makes in a month and shook her head, deciding on the dark blue and grey stroller that was way cheaper than the other.

"Yeah," Mark scoffed, "A turkey baster shaped like a penis and shooting out frozen sperm really doesn't amount to a real penis that-"

"Ugh, Mark, no! For the last time, it was Not a turkey baster. We don't live in the primitive times anymore."

The two friends laughed together and discussed the various items that they either needed or just couldn't refuse because of the sheer fact that they were unbelievably small, made just for a little human. Finally leaving the store with way too many things now in their possession, they stored everything in Callie's small closet, with both of them scratching their head at the limited amount of space. After putting the extra things in a hall closet, Callie and Mark crashed on the couch and put on a movie, while Callie hungrily dined on popcorn and pepperonis, Mark scrunching his face in disgust for the strange eating habits of his pregnant friend. No matter how much she strayed from her regular diet, he never would grow accustomed to the nastiness of what he deemed "a pregnant woman's diet."

Callie let her mind wander from the movie for a few minutes as she felt her son kicking irritably inside of her. "I know you want out little guy, just two more months and momma will let you out into this crazy world. Trust me, you might be better off staying in there. At least you are safe and warm and can enjoy mooching off of your momma's food and energy."

Mark chucked lightly at his friend's choice of words and he reached out to feel the little one kicking Callie's round stomach. They shared a silent moment of awe as they both thought about the near future, when little Torres would make his grand entrance, until Callie broke the silence.

"Mark, I will need to find my own place. Christina and Owen are about to move out of the apartment next to you, so they promised that they'd save it for me. This little guy is going to need his own space."

Mark nodded in acceptance, knowing he couldn't keep Callie here forever, as much as he wanted to. "It's great having you here, Cal. And I will take care of you and the little guy until you are ready to move out with him. You always have a safe home here."

"Thanks, Mark, you're the best."

After standing and placing a light kiss on her best friend's scruffy face, Callie made her way to her bedroom to snuggle under the covers. As the darkness and silence fell, she became increasingly aware of how alone she was, of how cold the bed was around her. This feeling was all too familiar to her, the cold sheets a reminder that she really was alone, just like she had been for the past few months. Sure she had Mark and she would have the baby soon, but she wanted someone to love again, someone that she could cuddle next to at night and feel their heartbeat against her body, their warmth lulling her to sleep. She wanted that connection with someone again, but this time she wanted it to be real. She wasn't going to love again easily for fear of getting left again, like many times before. Her days of putting her heart out there were over. The next time she decides to date would be only if she is serious about that person and they feel just the same. With a child on the way, she couldn't take the risk of having someone leave both her and her son. She needed someone stable, someone loving and committed. Her child needed her to be a strong mother and he deserved to have two parents to love him deeply and unconditionally, not one that would walk out on them. But she didn't want to worry about love right now, her son was her main focus, the one thing she had wanted all her life was the one thing that deserved her undivided attention, not the petty ideals of love.

She sighed heavily as sleep started to take her over, one last thought going through her head, refusing to disappear.

_What woman would want a woman that already has a child, a child that is not their own?_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

_**A/N: Okay, so I am sooo sorry that this took so long. School and life have started catching up with me as the end of the year is coming and I'm preparing to finish school. But hopefully you stuck around to read this and if it's any consolation to you, this chapter is a little longer than the rest. I have great plans for this story, and the good stuff is coming soon **___

_**Okay guys…to answer the one question that every, single, person wants to know…Arizona is coming soon. I planned to have her within the next two chapters, but since everyone is getting impatient with wanting her in the story, she will be here in the next chapter. You will just have to give me more time to rewrite what I already have. So, I hope that makes you all feel better knowing that a certain blonde ball of perkiness will be arriving soon.**_

_**You guys rock! Now, without further ado…**_

_**Chapter 4**_

Callie shuffled around the apartment, retrieving stray items from the closet to put in her and the baby's room. She wanted so badly to give her son a room of his own, but she new it was best to keep his crib in her room until he was older and she could move out of Mark's apartment. Earlier that morning Mark had finished putting the crib together and now they needed to put the finishing touches on her son's makeshift room. A plastic mobile with dangling stars hung above the crib, blue and silver to match the crib bedding. After much debate in the middle of the baby superstore, Callie had finally decided on a soft, dark blue and white plaid bedding for the mahogany crib. A small changing table rested against the opposite wall, her double bed separating it from the crib. Mark had insisted on buying a small, brown bear for the baby and was pleased to see her placing it in the corner of the crib as he walked into her room.

"All set for the little man?"

Callie turned to smile at Mark and nodded softly.

"I think so," she sighed and then sat on her bed, Mark following her, stretching out beside her. They both laid in silence for a few moments, each contemplating the future and reflecting on the past.

After 9 long and cranky months of pregnancy, Callie was due tomorrow. But so far the little guy showed no indication of being in any hurry to make his way into the world.

Each month brought a new challenge, a new thing to look forward to and she and Mark had braved it together. She giggled softly thinking about how much Mark really did have to endure for the better part of the year.

"_Mark..." Callie leaned over her friend, his sleeping form barely visible under the mess of covers in his bed. "Mark…" She whispered a little more insistently. Deciding that he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, she poked his shoulder softly. Receiving no response from her friend she weighed her options. She didn't want to go back to sleep yet so she needed him to be awake…now. _

"_MARK! Look at that sexy woman walking across the room! She wants you!" _

_Mark shot up from under his covers and looked around wildly and Callie snickered quietly as she watched his face fall when he realized he must have been dreaming. _

"_Where's they sexy woman?" Mark pouted and Callie shrugged then pointed to herself. _

"_Right here, of course."_

"_Cal," Mark shook his head. "I know its been a long time since you've been laid, but its" he glanced over at the alarm clock. "2 am. So go back to sleep." _

_Crossing her arms over her chest, Callie frowned down at Mark. That's not what I want, Sloan. You only wish I wanted you. Besides…it must suck to see all of this," Callie swayed her hips for good measure. She was pregnant, yes, but she knew she was still sexy. "And know that you can't have it because I go the other way."_

_Mark made a face and laid back down, sticking his tongue out like a child. _

"_Mark really though I need you." Callie spoke loudly, her urge becoming more insistent and not showing any signs of letting up._

_He shot back up out of his bed and gave her a suggestive smile. "Then hop on into the bed so I can show you the Sloan Method."_

_Mark really was a great guy, but he can still be such a whore when he wanted to be. This caused Callie to laugh a little then frown. _

"_I already told you that's not what I want."_

"_Then what is it, Cal," Mark's face suddenly went rigid with worry. "It's not the baby is it? Is he okay? Are you alright?"_

_The worry that was evident on her friend's face made Callie feel nothing but love and respect for Mark and she found herself grateful for the millionth time that she had him. _

"_No, everything is okay. Well, it sort of is. I actually…ummm…I need a favor." _

_Mark waited for the woman's request and rubbed his sleepy eyes._

"_I need you to run to the store."_

"_At 2 am? What in the world for?" Mark loved his sleep and as much as he loved Callie, he was not readily willing to get out of bed to go to the store at ungodly hours of the morning. _

"_For um…" Callie blushed and ran a hand through her hair. "Brownies and mustard."_

_She watched as Mark twisted his face in disgust. "Are you serious. Torres?"_

_Blushing, Callie nodded and spoke sheepishly. "Um, yes. I know its weird, but I'm craving that really badly right now and I can't sleep until I have it." She heard the soft whine in her voice and knew that maybe she was being irrational about having to eat those foods at this particular moment, but she couldn't avoid it, it was all her body's fault._

_Mark groaned and scratched his head. "Alright, Callie. Just this once though, this is hurting my beauty sleep."_

_Callie laughed light heartedly and kissed his temple. "Thank you so much."_

_With that she waited impatiently until Mark came back to the apartment with a bag full of store-bought brownies and two bottles of mustard._

_She drenched the fudgy goodness with the bitter, yellow condiment and groaned happily as she ate every last bit of four mustard coated brownies. Mark watched, more than grossed out, and shook his head. Noticing this, Callie shrugged, her food induced bliss making her less aware of the disgust plastered on Mark's face._

_When she finished eating, she kissed Mark's forehead and hugged him tight. "Thank you again. Now I can sleep, and so can you."_

_Mark smiled and rubbed her back. "It's not a problem this time, but don't make a habit of it Torres. Like I said," he gestured to his face. "This man needs his beauty sleep."_

_He winked and each friend went back to their respective rooms to fall asleep quickly, resting happily knowing that even though it may be stressful to have these absurd cravings, they were all for the baby._

Callie was soon brought out of her memories as Mark started to rub circles on her dark hand. She was suddenly grateful that he was on call today and not at the hospital yet. He had been here for her this whole time, never letting her be completely alone, no matter how frustrating it was at times. She had been working up until 3 weeks ago, and then the Chief had graciously given her maternity leave. An interval head of Ortho would take her place until the baby was a month old and though she would miss her job like crazy, she knew that she was going to be very busy with the baby for a long while.

Being a single mother was going to be difficult and at times she wished that she had a partner to help her through this, to share the experience of raising a child. But she knew that she could do it alone. She had psyched herself up for the past few months, telling herself that she would be an amazing mom. And now she believed it. Her son would be loved beyond any love that she had ever given to anyone. And Mark…she had Mark. Even though he wasn't the father and she had no intention of him ever being the father, he was still there, willing to help her with the baby. She had agreed that it might be best to stay here and let him help until her nerves settled and she became more comfortable with being so highly responsible for a new little life.

"Mark?" Callie spoke softly and turned her head to face her friend, who looked as deep in thought as she had just been.

"Yeah, Torres?"

"Thanks again for everything. This-" She waved her free hand at the room around her. "This is all so amazing. You- you are amazing. You didn't have to do any of this, so all I can say is thank you." She flashed a wide grin, causing Mark to smile in return. He loved her smile and he could see the happiness and thankfulness in her toothy grin, but it was nothing compared to how she used to smile when she was in love. He once again thought about how much he hates Erica for taking that smile away. But hey, he would take what he could get.

"Cal, you and the baby are the closest things I have to a family. Sloane is gone and she took my only grandchild with her." Mark sighed and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Addison aborted my baby, and I wasn't even ever there for Sloane or her mother."

"I've lost my chance at having a family, a family that I truly want. I'm not getting any younger and here I am, single and pining over the woman that I love, but doesn't love me back. It's a bit pathetic and not at all how I imagined I would be living my life right now."

Callie nodded in agreeance, knowing full well how much Mark really wanted to be with Lexie, but Alex Karev stood in his way. Sloane had scared her off and everyone except for Lexie could see how much Mark was hurting. Slowly, she moved to rest her head on his solid chest, feeling his chest heave slightly as he fought to control bitter tears. It was rare that Mark ever showed any emotion except for…horny.

The air was still with unspoken words and unshed tears as Mark chose his next words carefully.

"I just can't lose you or the little man. I mean, I know you two aren't technically _mine_, but I feel responsible for both of you. You two are my second chance, maybe even my last chance at having some semblance of a family. Lexie…she doesn't want me, at least not right now. I'm still in love with her, Cal. But she doesn't want a family."

Children had never been a particularly thrilling idea for Mark when he was younger, but now as he aged he knew something was missing in his life, and he had come to realize that that something was a family of his own.

"Mark, you won't lose me or the baby. You have us here and you have taken such good care of the both of us. I'm sure you won't ever be absent from our lives. In fact-" Callie stopped and began to twirl her thumbs together, something Mark had learned meant she had something on her mind.

"I would really love it if you would be his godfather."

A huge smile spread slowly across the man's face, replacing the somber look that was in place only moments ago. He touched Callie's stomach tenderly and nodded.

"Cal, that would be amazing. I would love that more than anything." His eyes glistened with both excited and mournful unshed tears as Callie kissed his cheek, his stubble prickling her lips.

"He is going to really love his uncle Mark." Mark smiled in response then frowned as the moment was ruined, as always, by his ever-annoying pager. They both glared at the little, black pager on the nightstand and Mark picked it up to read it.

"Crap. I'm sorry, but I have to go. There's been an 11 car collision on the interstate. They need all hands on deck."

The Latina frowned softly, thinking about tonight. "But you will be back in time for the shower, right?"

Pulling on his shoes, Mark nodded and made his way to the door to leave. "Sure thing, Torres. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Mark had planned a baby shower for her, upon her insistence. He knew that she wanted one, so he had been sure to have one, even if their crazy surgery schedules only allowed the day before she was due to be able to have the shower.

Soft laughs began to shake the Latina's body as she thought about Mark's enthusiasm about her pregnancy. Everyone at Seattle Grace Mercy West found out quickly after the child was conceived. The nurses, being the constant source of gossip chains, spread rumors that were confirmed as she become unable to hide her growing stomach. Congratulatory expressions were aimed towards her as she walked the halls of the hospital.

But however positive the looks appeared to be, Callie could still see the looks of pity in her co-workers eyes, mixed with looks of, dare she say, 'told ya so' or 'you deserve it' as many of the hospital staff were never accepting of her open relationship with a woman. When they had first started dating, disapproving whispers could be heard mingling with curious glances in their direction as they, rarely, walked around the hospital holding hands. Most of the hospital employees gradually became accustomed to, or even accepted the two as an item as they had dated for two solid years, with only a few bumps along the way. When the blonde "mysteriously" disappeared from the hospital, the rumors spread like a wildfire and Callie was helpless to avoid the stares cast upon her as she walked the hospital halls alone for the first time in a very long while.

Through all the careful glances she received after her break up with Erica, she could tell that everyone knew she was having a hard time. More often than not, she would show up to work looking disheveled with tear-induced red eyes and a solemn attitude. Mark soon became her "best friend in shining armor" as the whispers gradually grew quieter, at least when she was around, probably a direct result of Mark's threat of no more "on call room consults".

She was bad ass, she knew she shouldn't let the whispers get to her, but they did. Though they never distracted her from her work, they did quite the opposite in fact. She immersed herself in her work and now she was so very close to making cartilage from scratch, a project she had started right before Erica had left. If all went well with the baby, she would readily jump back into her work to complete her research as soon as possible.

So now here she was, pregnant and happy with Mark taking care of her this whole time, with only a few complaints made under his breath, usually at unholy hours of the morning. He really was a great guy, even though he sleeps with one too many nurses. But since she had become pregnant, she watched as something slowly started to change in him. She never saw him bring home any random women from one too many drinks at Joe's and he seemed to only have eyes for Lexie Grey now. He was maturing, as weird as it may seem to her, and she was proud of him for stepping up and preparing to be a "father figure".

_I guess that old saying about boys maturing later than girls really was true._

Callie grinned and stood up, looking at the alarm clock that now read 11:50 am. The baby shower wasn't until 5, so she had time to decorate. But with a rather large belly and swollen feet, she figured it would be best to start sooner than later, seeing as how it might take her longer to decorate than the average person not carrying a tiny human inside of them.

Boxes of various sizes littered the living room, all full of decorations; streamers, balloons, gift bags, and…onsies? Callie laughed quietly, shaking her head as she held up a tiny, white onsie, waiting to be decorated by guests.

A soft, but excited knocking sounded from her door and startled her.

_Who on earth? That can't be Mark, he has a key…and isn't everyone else at the hospital?_

She cautiously opened the door, confusion and shock consuming her features as a tall red-head smiled brightly in greeting; her arms extended obviously waiting for a hug.

Callie found her voice and smiled in excitement, walking forward to pull the woman into a huge hug, despite the awkwardness created by her swollen stomach.

"Addison!"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

_**A/N: Okay, so this is a suppppeerrr long chapter. It was going to be two chapters, but since I promised that AZ would be making an appearance, I held true to my word and combined two chapters to make one big one. Let me know what you love and hate and if I should continue with this story or not…**_

_**Chapter 5**_

Addison pulled Callie into a tight, but careful hug, excited to see her friend after so long. She had supported her when she dated Erica and left her with some encouraging words before starting her own clinic in Los Angeles. They kept in touch through email and phone calls every once in a while, accompanied by the stray text message here and there when their crazy work hours allowed it. But they hadn't seen each other for over a year.

Holding Callie's shoulder while stepping back to look the Latina up and down, Addison smiled and shook her head.

"Cal, as if you weren't gorgeous enough already, this baby had you absolutely glowing."

Callie felt her cheeks warm at her friend's comment, but smiled her signature smile.

"Thanks Addi," she gave her friend another hug. "Wow, it's so great to see you again. I've missed you so much."

A moment of satisfaction passed over the two friends as they held each other, happy to be together again. Addison rubbed soothing circles on the dark-headed woman's back.

"I know, I know, I've missed you too, Cal. But-" her voice took on a higher octave. "That is why I took a month off to stay with you!"

Callie jumped back in surprise, hoping her friend was not just fooling around with her.

"Really? You're kidding?"

Addison shook her head, pleased with Callie's response, and gestured to three large suitcases, all overly-bright and pink, all so…so…Addison.

"Ahh! Addison that's so awesome, thank you!"

Her smile grew even bigger until she remembered where she was.

"Wait, does Mark know you are here?"

Addison shrugged, earning a disapproving glance from her friend. "Addi, this _is _his apartment, you know?"

"Yeah, obviously," the red head rolled her eyes as she took in the sight of discarded clothes scattered around the floor and two empty beer bottles on the counter. Nothing looked too trashy, but it was definitely a man's place.

"But…I can't seem to find the condoms that I remember lying around everywhere once upon a time." Addison lighthearted joked with Callie as she made a show of looking around the room for said objects.

"Adds," Callie laughed softly, "He has actually grown up quite a bit since you left. I think you'd be surprised."

The red head tilted her head as if contemplating her friend's words then shrugged. "I guess that explains why he offered to let me stay here."

Callie scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. So Mark had known Addison was coming here, he was okay with it, _and_ he offered to let her stay at his place? Weird. She listened as Addison continued, and then made her way to the kitchen to pour her friend a glass of wine and herself a glass of grape juice.

_At least it looks like wine. _Callie chuckled to herself softly. She missed the occasional glass of wine, but there was no way she was about to risk damaging the life of the little one in her just for a quick way to relax.

"So where will you sleep?"

Callie looked back to Addison, who was taking a seat at the bar.

"Well, Mark offered to let me sleep in his room."

"With him?" Callie raised an eyebrow.

Addison shook her head and took her glass of wine, sipping it generously to calm her down after her flight. She hated flying and this wine was just what she needed to bring her back down to earth…no pun intended.

"Hell no! He said he would sleep on the couch, but I declined actually. I am just going to get a hotel room tonight then see where I go from there."

"No, absolutely not!" Callie waved her grape juice in the air in protest. "You can sleep with me."

This time it was Addison's turn to raise one trim, red eyebrow.

"Now Ms. Torres, I know those pregnant hormones are raging, but I just got here."

Callie blushed hard, her heartbeat speeding up as Addison winked suggestively.

"Try to contain yourself, Torres. And besides-" Addison leaned in across the bar, narrowing the space between herself and her friend. "I am _not_ an easy lay."

Even though she knew that she was joking, Callie couldn't help but to choke on her juice as her heartbeat sped up considerably. She tried to laugh a little, but it came out as more of a choked giggle and Addison looked at her as if she had grown another head.

"You alright there, Cal?"

Callie nodded and tried desperately to think of something to say, willing the thought of her and Addison in bed together to disappear. _Be gone, crazy image. Poof! Gone yet? _She saw Addison taking her shirt off slowly and_- No, no Gah, go away!_

Her thoughts raged in her head, an internal conflict taking place in her mind and Addison watched with amused eyes when Callie shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Um, Cal?" the red head waved her hand in her friend's face, hoping to regain her attention as she seemed completely lost in thought.

Callie had always had a crush on her since they met in med, but she didn't want to ruin their friendship by taking a shot at making them about more than just friends. Fate was a cruel thing though as Erica walked into her life and she became distracted from Addison. Her best friend had decided to move to Los Angeles and she had not fought as hard as she should have to have kept her here. Now she regretted it just as much as she had when she heard that Addison was dating.

Finally coming out of her thoughts when she heard Addison clap her hands dramatically to get her attention, she sighed.

"How is Haley doing, by the way?" The raven haired woman watched Addison's face fall slightly at the mention of the woman's name and she immediately knew something was off.

"We uh- we actually broke up a few months ago." Addison shrugged as she swirled her wine around in her glass, suddenly very interested in the little bit of drink that she had left.

"What? Why? I thought-" Callie furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "You never mentioned that."

They had numerous conversations about their love lives, or lack of in Callie's case, but she didn't recall Addison ever mentioning that she and her girlfriend had separated. This was definitely news to her. Why would she not tell her?

"Yeah, we got really serious, Cal. I thought she was the one for me, but I can't carry a baby, my uterus is 'hostile' according to the doctor." She shook her head in disbelief. "And she didn't want to carry. But she didn't want to adopt either, so we were stuck."

"I just am not getting any younger so I want kids soon. I got tired of all of our arguing and finally we decided that it just wasn't worth it anymore."

A sharp kick in the ribs caused Callie to yelp softly and she patted her stomach soothingly, thankful for the distraction from the mixture of pain and relief on Addison's face.

"Calm down, little one." She giggled and shook her head as her son kicked her again, her smile fading as she caught the well-masked look of jealousy on Addison's face. She may have tried to hide it, but Callie could see straight through her. Changing the subject probably wouldn't be too bad of an idea right now.

Luckily, Addison beat her to it and stood from the counter, leaving an empty wine glass behind. "You need help with all of this?" She looked through the boxes of decorations, smiling as she imagined these things being for her one day.

"Yeah! That would be great actually." Callie looked at the clock on the wall and smiled, 3:25. "We have about an hour or so before everyone starts coming over so we better get started now."

The two friends talked and decorated, laughing as they told stories about their respective work places. Callie told her all about her pregnancy, about how good Mark had been to her and she noticed a flicker of regret in those green eyes, but it was lost as Addison set up a scrapbooking station, glancing at the pictures taken of Callie in various stages of her pregnancy.

Sharp pain suddenly caused Callie to double over, but it wasn't like earlier. It wasn't her son kicking her this time, it was much worse. Gasping for breath, she placed her hands on her knees and winced.

"Ad-Addison…"

"Yeah, Cal?" Addison turned around with an empty baby bottle in hand and dropped it immediately, the plastic clanging against the floor as she made her way to Callie.

"What's wrong? Is it…" she rubbed Callie's back and realization hit her.

"There it is again." Callie struggled to breathe, but was able to manage those few words.

"Oh..OH! Callie! He's coming! Oh God!" Addison frantically hurried around the room, searching for her phone. Where is the damned thing when you need it?

"Callie, let's go!" She laced her friends dark fingers in her own and gently, but quickly led her to the stairs of the apartment.

Between her contractions, Callie giggled softly as she imagined what they looked like to the people around them. The ever-present Seattle rain was harsh when mixed with the icy, winter wind, soaking their clothes as they hurried across the street to the hospital. Addison's bright red high heels, _how does she even walk in those things?,_ clicked noisily on the pavement and then on the hospital floor as the cold, sterile air engulfed their wet bodies. They hurried to the elevator and went to the labor and delivery floor, not noticing the confused and excited looks they were receiving from both patients and staff.

Addison jammed her finger in the air at a nurse who happened to be walking by and waggled her finger dramatically.

"Page Dr. Sloan to room 112, right now." The nurse looked flustered and confused and Addison's irritation shot up to a new level.

"Are you deaf or dumb? Page Dr. Sloan, this woman is about to drop this kid!"

The red head scoffed and hurried Callie into a room and sat her on the bed, handing her the oh-so-attractive hospital gown. Callie's breathing was becoming persistently more labored and hurried as she changed into the gown, grateful to be out of her wet clothes. Slowly, she laid down on the bed and tried to focus on taking deep breaths as a sheer sweat broke out across her skin.

"Ah, Callie aren't you excited!" Addison hooked her friend up to the proper machines and starting taking her vitals, anxiously waiting for Dr. Fields and Mark to get the asses up to this room and deliver her godchild.

"Yeah," Callie huffed out between breaths. "Of course, it's just-" she grunted in pain. "-starting to hurt. I mean, I am tough, I'm a Torres, but wow! This hurts," she chucked and Addison did the same.

"Yeah, that kinda comes with the delivery, you haven't even gotten to the best part," Addison winked and Callie smiled brightly, her emotions running haywire. Fear, excitement, PAIN! Nervousness, happiness, PAIN!

The door to the room flew open to reveal a very out of breath Mark Sloan as he rushed in with an ecstatic grin.

"He's coming, Torres?"

Callie nodded excitedly and Mark took her hand in his.

"The little man just had to steal your thunder before the baby shower, huh? He wanted his own party."

Laughter filled the room as its three occupants chucked nervously, but excitedly and other doctors and nurses began to filter their way in and out of the room in preparation of delivering the little one.

Two hours later, after much groaning and screaming and near hand-breaking, Callie heard a tiny cry replace her own, the sweetest sound she had ever heard in her life. When she opened her eyes, Mark was cutting the umbilical cord and Addison was holding a tiny, beautiful, blood-covered baby boy. Time seemed to stand still as she took in the sight of the little being that she had just birthed. Everything would change now, her life would change forever and that little baby would be the center of everything she did.

Tears started flowing freely from her caramel eyes as a slight weight pressed on her chest and she looked down to see her son, now swaddled in a blue blanket with a matching cap on his head, resting content on her chest. Her arms wrapped around him protectively and she smiled as his eyes struggled to open slightly to gaze into hers. She felt like she could stay like this forever, just holding him and feeling his little heartbeat, hearing his quick breathing, and knowing that he is safe in her arms.

"Hey there, little guy."

Everyone in the room had cleared out except for Mark and Addison and they looked on silently, taking in the miracle of life now resting in their best friend's arms.

"Momma's got you, you're safe." Callie soothed her son as he cried softly, calming quickly as a tanned hand ran soothingly over his blanket-clad back.

"You're a handsome little guy, huh?" She ran a shaking finger over a tanned cheek, his complexion identical to her own. At once she was grateful that she had strong genes and his eyes were a deep, chocolate color and not blue like the donor she had chosen. He looked exactly like her, as if no other force had helped make him, only her and the dominant Torres gene.

"Mi hijo. Eres muy guapo," The little baby forced an arm out of his blanket and Callie giggled, seeing how chubby his little arm was. "Tu bracito parece un malvavisco."

Addison smiled warmly, despite not understanding at all what Callie was saying, she knew it was affectionate. Her son certainly was beautiful, just like his mother.

"Cal, do you have a name?"

Callie continued to stare into her son's eyes and stroke his little arm, unable to look away from the tiny life that had just stolen her heart.

"Santiago." She smiled and touched her finger to the top of his impossibly small bose.

"Santiago Marcus Torres."

_**3 Years Later…**_

"Santiago, come eat, mi malvavisco!"

Callie scooped macaroni and cheese out of a small pot and placed it into a little red bowl, her son's favorite. He insisted on using that bowl to eat or downright refusing to eat at all. It was cute at first, but when her patience was thin, he knew better than to test her.

After pouring him a sippy cup with apple juice, she noticed her son was still not in the room.

"Santiago!" Sighing to herself, she crossed her arms over her chest and called her son by the name that he insisted on being called lately. "Superman….where are you?"

She stood still for a moment, listening intently for any signs of her son and chuckled to herself as she heard little feet slapping against the hardwood floor of the apartment as he hurried to the kitchen.

"Here Mama!" The little boy skidded to a halt in front of her and she shook her head adoringly. His almond eyes shone behind his red mask, a matching red cape was tied loosely around his neck. His long sleeved blue pajamas had the Superman emblem haphazardly taped to his chest, the 'S' turned backwards, indicating that the 3 year old had proudly drawn and colored it himself. He stood tall and rested his little fists on his sides, striking his best Superman pose.

Callie ruffled his thick, black hair lovingly and pointed to the bar. "How about fly up onto that chair so you can eat your lunch, little man."

Santiago complied and Callie watched with amusement as he struggled to climb up onto the barstool, sticking his little tongue out in concentration. A wide grin broke out across his face, revealing dazzling white teeth, his smile so much like his mother's. She loved being able to see herself in him, it thrilled her that the resemblance was so obvious.

Santiago started shoveling spoonfuls of macaroni into his mouth, much to his mother's displeasure. Noodles fell all over the floor and Callie scolded him.

"Slow down, son. You are gonna choke, you don't want that to happen do you?" Innocent brown eyes bore into hers and he continued eating at an alarmingly fast pace.

"Why are you rushing, mi hijo?"

The little boy chewed and stopped eating just long enough to answer his mother. "Uncle Mark said I can go to his 'partment and choose my birfday presents after lunch," he resumed his eating and nodded excitedly, anxious to get to his uncle's house. "He said maybe we can go to Toy's R' Us."

More stray noodles fell to the floor and Callie bent to pick them up. As she did, her son took a quick sip from his cup then jumped down from his seat, making a fast track for the door.

"Ah ah! Not so fast, mister," Callie tried to stop him but all she saw was a flash of red cape as he bolted out the front door, headed across the hall to Mark's apartment. That kid really needs to learn to slow down. Noodles left a trail to the front door and she sighed, picking each one up and tossing them into the sink. She loved her son more than anything, but he sure was an exhausting ball of energy. And the fact that tomorrow was his fourth birthday party only added to his never-ending supply of energy and excitement. That reminded her, she was supposed to go out shopping for his gifts and decorations this afternoon while Mark took her son to toy shops to give his uncle some options.

"_Whoa! Oh!"_ A loud racket sounded from the hallway, followed by a cry of surprise and distress.

Callie ran out to the hallway and gasped at what she found there. A woman had fallen over, laying on top of a heavy looking box and her son stood beside her, glancing down at her sheepishly.

"Santi! What happened?" Callie quickly knelt beside the fallen woman, her son staying quiet and backing slowly towards Mark's apartment, knowing that he was about to be in trouble since his Momma looked very unhappy with him.

Groaning softly, the blonde headed woman on the ground sat up off the box and rubbed her elbow, then noticed the woman beside her staring at her concerned.

"Oh, God! Sorry, I-" the woman looked around until her eyes rested on the little boy. "Are you okay, little guy?"

Callie shook her head, her suspicions about who caused this accident confirmed. Her son just nodded a little and hugged his cape around his little body.

"I'm sorry, miss. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just excited to get to my toys!"

The blonde woman chucked and shook her head. "It's alright, as long as you aren't hurt."

Callie took this opportunity to speak up. "I'm so sorry, he ran out of the apartment before I could stop him. I-"

Her breath caught as the woman turned and met her eyes, deep blue eyes stunning her into silence. She was beautiful, stunning, radiant, gorgeous, _okay enough with the cheesy adjectives, Callie. _Golden locks fell out of a loose ponytail and framed the woman's face, her smile lighting up the dim hallway. Callie couldn't look away, she couldn't even remember why she was out here.

"Zona, are you okay?" A stunning blonde headed man came up the staircase and sat two moving boxes down and hurried to the woman's side.

For some reason, Callie was disappointed. Of course this woman was dating someone, even a blind man could see that she was hot. Callie looked at her hand; no ring, so yeah just dating, not married, thank God.

The woman in front of her nodded a little, barely acknowledging the man beside her as she couldn't tear her eyes away from Callie. Callie suddenly became very nervous and felt a blush start to make its way across her face as she realized that she still hadn't spoken. Now under the woman's thoughtful gaze, she felt like an idiot. _Say something, tell her your name, say something, anything damn it. _

"Callie Torres," she choked out and reached hand out to help the woman up from the floor. _Good Callie, now apologize. _"I'm sorry if my son caused you any trouble. He has a tendency to disobey me."

She looked for her son and noticed he had managed to slip into Mark's apartment, surely knowing that he would be in trouble later. _Smart kid. _

The blonde woman smiled and took her hand, gasping almost inaudibly as their hands met and she was pulled up from the floor. She felt as if she had been shocked and she couldn't bring herself to release the stunning Latina's hand.

"Arizona." She smiled her best smile, the whole world shutting down around her as she only had eyes for the woman holding her hand. "Arizona Robbins. I'm moving, well, we-" she pointed to the man beside her who smiled warmly. "We are moving into the apartment here." She nodded her head at the door next to Callie's. The place had been vacant since Christina and Owen moved out, and now here was the woman about to move in.

Callie smiled and finally found it in her to release the woman's hand.

"Well, Arizona, its really great to meet you. And I'm sorry again for my son."

Arizona shook her head, her curls bouncing slightly. "Don't worry about it. He's a cutie and boys will be boys."

Callie laughed easily and shook her head. "Don't I know it!"

"_Zona!"_ The two laughed quietly then Arizona picked up her box and followed the man into the apartment where he had already disappeared, calling for her.

"I guess I will see you around sometime, Callie?"

Arizona stopped at the door and smiled at the Latina who nodded in response. "Sure, uh, he is having a birthday party tomorrow if you'd like to stop by."

"Oh I love parties!" She almost clapped her hands before realizing that she had a box still in her arms, a very heavy box that she would like to not crush her foot.

Upon seeing her enthusiasm, Callie felt her heart speed up. She didn't know why but for some reason she felt like she wanted to be near this woman, and here was her chance. "You know, I have to go out later to shop for the party, maybe after you get settled in, you would like to go with me? I mean, I could show you around Seattle and everything."

Arizona bit her bottom lip in excitement and nodded. This woman, this breathtaking woman wanted to spend time with her and they didn't even know each other.

_What if she is an axe murderer or something Arizona? You are just going to hop in a car with her and go wherever she wants?_

"Sure, I'd really love that, thanks," _Well apparently so._

A/N: The Spanish parts go as follows: "You are so handsome, your little arm looks like a marshmallow."

Hijo is son, and malvavisco is marshmallow…little Sanitago's nickname.

Thanks guys! Don't forget to let me know what you think


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Alright so I know this took a while, but at least it is fairly lengthy. Exams are finally over *hears the hallelujah chorus in the background* and now I'm one short week away from graduating! So…without further ado…let me know what you love or hate about this chapter, feedback is always welcome, good or bad. So let me know loves! Happy reading **___

_**Chapter 6**_

Callie rested her back against her now closed door, safely in the apartment after the embarrassment fest she had just participated in.

'_What the hell has gotten into me? First I stutter over that amazing woman that's moving in next door, and then I invite her, out of nowhere, to go shopping with me? You've completely lost your mind Callie.'_

Santiago's half eaten lunch bore a reminder of how she had gotten herself into this mess in the first place. Oh, he was so going to be in trouble later. _'Speaking of which…where is he?'_

Opening her door carefully, she peered into the hallway, half hoping and half worrying that she would see the stunning blonde again. If she could barely talk near the woman, she was honestly afraid of how severely impaired her motor functions would become in her presence. She was sure that her legs wouldn't stand a chance at working correctly if she needed to make a quick run for it.

After making sure the coast was clear since Arizona's door was closed, Callie ran the short distance from her apartment to Mark's as fast as she could without tripping. She unceremoniously banged on her friend's door and hurried inside as soon as he opened it to greet her.

"Whoa, Torres! What's got into you?" Mark laughed as Callie closed the door and locked it, breathing hard as if she had just run a mile.

"Nothing…" she tried to play it off, but Mark knew better than that. He cocked his head and stared her down, the woman trying desperately to avoid his gaze, but failed quickly.

"Okay…it's that woman next door. Arizona. Something made me ask her to come with me. And maybe she's an axe murderer, but who cares, she's hot. And Santiago tripped her up, and-"

Mark raised an eyebrow and studied his friend as if trying to decide whether or not to admit her to the mental institution. She was rambling and making absolutely no sense at all.

"Cal, slow down, would ya? Take a breath."

"Arizona." She stated simply as if what she was saying was completely obvious.

Without missing a beat Mark nodded. "Is next to California."

This seemed to break Callie out of her crazed rant and she rolled her eyes.

"No, Arizona Robbins. She just moved in next door." Receiving nothing but a blank stare in response, Callie continued. "She's hot, Mark. Really hot. But she's straight." Her face fell a little and she mentally scolded herself for the sadness that she felt so easily at that fact.

"How do you know she's straight? Did she flirt with you?" Mark made his way to the couch where Santiago was laid out, his face buried in a toy catalog. That was something he loved about having his birthday so close to Christmas, all of the big toy stores sent out their catalogs full of toys for him to choose from.

Upon hearing his mother's voice, he jumped up excited, his earlier antics already forgotten.

"Mama! Look at this! Look at this! I need this!" The toy catalog was shoved into Callie's stomach and she looked at the toy. Before she could read the description, her son was telling her all about it.

"Uncle Mark told me all about what it says! It's a Superman remote control flying man! He can fly around the house while I control him. He would go great with my bad guys, he can fly over and knock them all down." He nodded his head excited, tugging on his mother's hand.

"Please, please may I have it?"

Callie smiled then looked at her son sternly, watching as his excitement faded somewhat and he shrunk down away from her.

"I don't know if you deserve that toy. What you did to Miss Robbins was not nice at all."

"I told her sorry, Mama. It was an accident, te prometo."

Callie sighed and kept her stern, momma-means-business look on her face a moment longer then leaned down and kissed her son's forehead.

"Maybe. As long as you tell her sorry again the next time you see her. You should not have disobeyed me and ran off and you should not have snuck into Uncle Mark's house when you knew you were in trouble."

Santiago nodded sheepishly and hung his head a little. "I'm sorry, Mama. I won't do it anymore."

With that, Mark picked Santiago up and threw him up onto his shoulders to sit.

"Well, Torres, we are gonna head to the toy store to find my favorite nephew some gifts." Santiago drummed his little hands on Mark's head as Mark made his way to the door.

"And I suggest that you get out there and get some Torres. How long has it been now? Four years?" Mark looked pointedly at Callie and smirked.

Callie rolled her dark eyes and made her way to her own apartment. She didn't have long before she and Arizona would be shopping together…not getting some…_shopping_.

"Shut it, Mark. I'm just fine. And I am _not-_" she lowered her voice so her son couldn't hear. "Going to _get some_. I just met the woman. And like I said…she is probably straight and I will just be getting myself into a huge mess. A mess I cannot deal with now."

Mark shrugged and grabbed Santiago's hands to stop the repetitive beats against his head.

"Have a night of fun, go wild for a change. Stop worrying about everything before you drive yourself crazy. You've been so wrapped up in this little guy that your idea of going wild now means letting him drink from a cup without a lid on it."

With that he walked down the apartment stairs and left Callie staring at the blue door of the apartment next to hers, the apartment that held that gorgeous woman inside. Mark was right…she would admit that she needed to have some fun. Her life had consisted of work and Santiago, each one taking up any bit of free time that she could find in the last four years. But both were so worth all of her time, she loved her job and she loved her son. But still something was missing. Dating had been pushed to the back burner for a long time after her son was born. She had tried dating two women once Santiago had turned two, but that was a huge flop. Turns out that she was right…not many women are interested in someone who already has 'a full time child and no time for the finer things in life…like sex,' as her last date had told her when the night ended earlier than expected.

Sighing to herself, Callie entered her apartment and shut the door. Looking around she shook her head. Toys were carelessly thrown around the floor, little socks littered the hallway, and she was afraid to even look in Santiago's room. She had been so happy to move out into her own place when her son turned one. It was time for him to have his own space, his own toys, and a place to call his own.

_Ugh, it's gonna take forever to clean this…_

She looked around her son's room at the toys thrown everywhere, the tan carpet completely hidden under them. As soon as she realized that Arizona would quite possibly end up in her apartment if she showed up tomorrow, then she wanted her to be nowhere near this mess. Hurriedly cleaning every toy she could find, Callie smiled, pleased with herself, as the floor became visible again.

Taking a breath she heard a knock at the door and looked at her watch, panicked.

_That has to be Arizona. I'm not ready…no…yes…yes I am…I have nothing to worry about. I'm Callie Torres, badass._

Willing herself to put on a huge smile, she opened the door to be met by sparkling blue eyes and an equally bright smile.

"Hi, I hope I'm not too early. I got everything unpacked in record time," Arizona chuckled softly to herself at the new found motivation she had after knowing she was going to spend the rest of the evening with her new neighbor. She had managed to finish by six o clock and was very proud of herself.

"Yeah, no, no it's fine," Callie smiled though her heart was beating wildly upon seeing Arizona again. This woman had a ridiculous effect on her and she barely knew anything more than her name.

"You wanna come in or go ahead and go?" she glanced down at her watch seeing it was already a little after six. "I mean, I'd love for you to come in, but it's already getting late and-"

Arizona watched, trying to suppress a giggle as the gorgeous Latina in front of her waved her hand around in the air nervously.

'_Well at least I'm not the only one that's nervous about this.'_

"You're right, we should get going before it's too late," Arizona shrugged. "Besides, I'll be here soon enough to help decorate, right?"

She knew it was wishful thinking and possibly even a little forward, something she wasn't at all used to being. But something about Callie made her want to throw caution to the wind. A pleased and somewhat smile graced Callie's lips at hearing the blonde's question.

"Of course! I'd love to have some help. Mark isn't any good at decorating anyways. You should have seen him trying to decorate the apartment before the baby shower." She locked the door and wandered down the stairs with Arizona close behind, not noticing how the blonde's face fell briefly at the mention on Mark.

'_Of course she isn't gay, Arizona. She has a son, who obviously has a father…male…man…as in not gay.'_

She had yet to meet this Mark fellow, but after seeing Callie's son, she knew the father had to be good looking to produce such a gorgeous son.

'_Even though Callie could have created a perfect child single-handedly.'_

She jumped off the last step landing with a little bounce. This was going to be interesting, she would have to be careful to not cross any lines with Callie, especially not this soon. Even if she was confident in her flirting abilities, she had only turned a straight woman gay once and that ended in disaster, a very recent disaster. Therefore, she didn't want to mess Callie's life up. For some reason she cared for her already and she hadn't even known her for a few hours. She found herself craving the Latina's presence without any thought of why. All she knew was that if Callie was willing to spend time with her, she was more than willing to oblige.

Stopping in front of a beautiful car, Arizona felt her jaw go slack when Callie opened the passenger door for her.

"This is yours?" An incredulous smiled crossed her face, but she was still unable to find the strength to move into the car.

"All mine. She's gorgeous isn't she?" Callie beamed down at her car, proud of the one thing she had ever used her unnecessarily large trust fund for. The Thunderbird was her pride and joy and even though she took care to not flaunt her money, when she had the opportunity to restore this car before her son was born, she couldn't refuse. She had bought the car worn down and beat up and she had taken every bit of free time she had to restore the car to its former glory; it had been her baby.

Regaining a little more ability to move, Arizona finally took in the sight of Callie's proud smile as she stood still holding the door open for her.

'_Chivalrous and a sexy woman who has a thing for old cars…yeah…she's a keeper.'_

"It's really amazing, Callie." Trying to make up for her lack of finesse that she displayed a moment ago, Arizona tried to slide smoothly into the car, thanking Callie, but it was stopped short.

"Oomph!" Arizona grabbed her head as it collided with the top of the car as she tried to get in.

Callie's eyes widened as she let go of the door quickly, to check Arizona's head.

"Oh, are you okay?" She stroked the hair on Arizona's head slowly as she knelt down to be on the blonde's level. Her hair was so soft and felt like silk under a shaky, tanned hand. It had been so long since she had contact with another woman and she felt her heart speed up and her head start to spin with the contact. She was close enough to take in the smell of Arizona's perfume which only added to the lust that was rapidly filling Callie's mind. She knew it was crazy to feel mildly turned on by such a simple action, but she couldn't control it.

Arizona felt her eyes involuntarily close when she felt Callie's hand on her hair, her thoughts unknowingly mirroring Callie's. A strong, but gentle hand was soothing the bump that was sure to be there as a result of her clumsiness.

After realizing that her hand had traveled to meet Arizona's cheek, Callie retracted her hand like she had been burned. The contact had started to become too overwhelming and she knew that she needed to get control of herself before she did something stupid.

"Sorry." She mumbled and cleared her throat, then met Arizona's eyes that she had finally managed to pry open, despite wanting to stay in that moment forever. The bright blue eyes that Arizona donned earlier had now turned to a darker shade, her lips parted slightly to try and breathe. The Latina's touch had elicited a strong feeling of want in Arizona's stomach. Her touch was soft and accidental, but that didn't stop her from wanting more.

Callie's eyes bore into her own and she shivered under the Latina's confusing gaze. What was it that she saw in her eyes? Apology, regret, acceptance…desire?

Before she could respond, Callie had closed her door and was now sitting in the driver's seat, bringing the dark blue beauty roaring to life, humming under her hands.

"Are you alright, really?" Callie finally managed to speak again after willing away the thoughts of Arizona's smooth skin and how the rest of her body would feel under her touch.

"Yeah, sorry. I can be a bit of a klutz. But it's nothing that hasn't happened before. Besides," the blonde tapped her head playfully. "I'm known for being hard headed," she punctuated her sentence with a wink and Callie smiled and shook her head.

"So Arizona Robbins…hard headed, blonde, beautiful, and a bit of a klutz…what else should I know about you?"

They chatted back and forth easily, learning a little more about each other, but the topic of Callie's son and son's father had yet to arise, leaving Arizona curious, but too weary to ask. The time would come when they would approach that topic, but for now Callie was content having some adult time and Arizona was content in being ignorant to the topic.

When they reached the part superstore, Arizona's eyes lit up when Callie once again held her door open for her and Callie found herself wondering if it was her actions or the prospect of soon being inside the gigantic, fun filled store that excited the beautiful blonde. She didn't know too much about Arizona yet, but she found the blonde's playful heart endearing.

Ceremoniously waving to the store, Callie winked and put on her best proper accent. "We have arrived, my lady."

A soft blush rushed across Arizona's cheeks and Callie felt her heart speed up at the blonde's beauty. She didn't know why she felt like being so flirty, but as long as Arizona didn't face offense to it, she planned to flirt tonight. Something about the blonde just made her want to let go and put her heart out there. So tonight she would at least achieve part of that and give Mark a good report of her 'going wild.' She chuckled to herself and shook her head.

'_Who am I kidding; I'm not doing this for Mark.'_

Decorations of every shape, size, and color lined every aisle of the store and Callie watched amused as Arizona excitedly bolted down each aisle, holding up various items to seek Callie's approval.

After almost an hour in the store, they had enough red, yellow, and blue Superman decorations to throw ten parties. Callie couldn't help but to watch Arizona quietly. This woman fascinated her in so many ways. The way the blonde bounced around with the energy of a five year old was amazing. She admired the way her smile lit up her flawless face and the way her golden hair cascaded around her face, giving her an almost angelic glow.

'_Listen to yourself, Callie…you are letting this woman make you all sappy and not bad ass…you better watch out for her, should could be the death of you.'_

When she realized that the object of her rapt attention had stopped moving, she shook herself out of her daze.

"Callie? What do you think?" The blonde wore a knowing smile and her cerulean eyes danced with amusement at catching the Latina staring at her. The whole time they had been in the sore, she and Callie had been engaged in a flirting battle, which she was proud to say she was winning at. And now seeing Callie staring gave her yet another advantage. Pointing to the plastic, silver tiara on her head, Arizona put on a big smile.

"I'm sorry, what?" Callie tried desperately to focus on the words coming from Arizona's mouth, her pink lip were just…so distracting as she giggled and pointed to the toy tiara on her head.

"How does it look?"

Callie glanced at the tiara and smiled so wide that it almost hurt her face. Tonight had been going very well; they were both enjoying eachother's company and Callie knew that she and Arizona were going to be great friends and maybe even something more if she was lucky. So now was her chance to go out on a limb and be brave, besides, bad ass women are brave, right? The reached out and touched a curly lock of Arizona's hair and smiled softly.

"It's beautiful and it really suits you," she started and Arizona beamed. "But you don't need a crown to look like a princess."

Almost immediately, Arizona felt her cheeks burn bright red as her heart melted and her dimples popped, much to Callie's delight.

'_Score one for Torres.' _Callie grinned and let the piece of hair go, watching Arizona's dimples intently.

'_Who even has dimples like that? No one I've ever seen before…but damn they are adorable. And…they could be dangerous…watch yourself Callie.'_

Callie chuckled silently to herself as a thought came to the forefront of her mind and she couldn't stop herself from commenting out loud on the monologue that had just played in her head.

"Like kryptonite," she laughed at the irony of her son's Superman themed party and the reference she made.

"Huh?" Arizona furrowed her eyebrows as Callie continued laughing to herself, despite the odd glances she was receiving from other customers.

"Nothing, nothing, I just crack myself up sometimes, that's all. Just ignore me, I've obvious been hanging around my son too much"

As confused as Arizona was, she felt Callie's laughter stir feelings of happiness in her that she had not felt in a long time. Moving here was her chance to escape her sadness and problems of the past few months and meeting Callie could very well be the start to something amazing. She needed to heal and Callie could ne just what she needed, but it was too soon to think of being anymore than just friends with her miraculous new neighbor.

'_This is just my first day here in Seattle_ _and I've already met someone amazing. But still…it's too soon, Arizona. Don't do this again.'_

When they arrived at the apartments both women were still laughing and enjoying themselves, even as they lugged five bags each up the three flight of stairs to Callie's apartment. After they sat the bags down on the floor in the kitchen, Arizona took a moment to look around, catching her breath as she did so and making a mental note to herself to start working out again.

Looking around she smiled as the place smelled faintly of the perfume she had managed to get a whiff of during the night.

Callie sighed and stretched slowly, willing her muscles to relax.

"Well, thanks so much for everything, Arizona. I know I didn't get to show you around much, but if you are free soon, maybe tomorrow after the party, we could hang out some more?"

Callie fumbled around nervously with her keys, finally throwing them to the counter with a little more force than necessary as she cursed them for making her look like a fool.

But before Arizona could answer, a low groan sounded from the living room and both woman watched as a tall, handsome man sat up on the couch with Santiago asleep on his chest, his little arms wrapped around the older man's neck.

Arizona felt her heart drop and her smile disappear when Callie smiled warmly at the scene in front of them. The first thing she noticed was the rugged handsomeness of the man as he stood slowly to walk towards them, careful not to wake the sleeping child.

"Hey, Cal. He just fell asleep a little while ago. The little guy wouldn't let me go after we left the toy store. I think he was exhausted from all the fun he had bouncing from aisle to aisle begging for every toy his eyes laid on."

The man giggled softly with Callie as he thought of the little boy in the toy store and Callie thought back to a similar scene with Arizona bouncing through the party store. Their laughter subsided, however, when the man caught the disdainful look he was receiving from the blonde at Callie's side.

"Eh, you must be Arkansas." He extended his hand while keeping the other tightly around Santiago. Callie frowned deeply at him for his idiocy, daring him to mess things up.

"Arizona," the blonde answered curtly and forced a smile, shaking his hand. Not offering anything else, the man shifted uncomfortable, his gaze drifting from Callie to Arizona.

"Uhm, well, okay, I'm Mark by the way. Nice to meet you."

Arizona nodded and released his hand as a pregnant silence settled over the three adults.

'_So that is the mysterious Mark…but why hasn't Callie talked much about him? Maybe he's a deadbeat dad.'_

"Well, I'm gonna go put him to bed. I'll see you in a few, Cal. Have a good night Arizona."

With that, Arizona looked to Callie awkwardly. Maybe she had been wrong about the flirting. Maybe Callie was just trying to be friendly or see what's its like to flirt with a woman with no strings attached.

'_So much for that idea.' _Arizona sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair. '_There is no reason to be jealous Arizona. Stop being stupid and don't you dare start messing around with a taken woman.'_

She mentally scolded herself as Callie smiled a little, wondering what was going on inside the blonde's mind.

"So I will see you tomorrow at the party, right?"

Arizona offered a smile and a slight nod.

"Of course. And do you still want me to come over and help decorate? It's kind of late to do it tonight and your son is worn out it seems."

"Yeah, sure! Come by around two o clock if that works for you. The party is from four to six. Then maybe we could hang out right?"

Arizona shrugged and opened the door to leave. Of course she wanted to hang out with Callie, the woman captivated her. But she knew it was dangerous…she was setting herself up for hurt. She couldn't get involved with a woman who already was in a relationship with her son's father. She saw the way Callie looked at her son with Mark and though she wanted to believe otherwise, she had a feeling that her thoughts about Mark were right.

'_Of course he's the father. They are both very handsome. They fall asleep together, and in Callie's apartment might I add. Something has to be going on between the two, even if they weren't married.'_

Arizona briefly glanced at Callie's ring finger and let out a silent sigh of relief as no ring was present.

'_But that doesn't mean she isn't committed Arizona so stop your mind from wandering right now!'_

"I um…" Arizona started, wanting to scream 'yes' to Callie, but knew that would not be wise. "I don't know if that's such a good idea actually. I might uh-have plans or something tomorrow, I'm not sure yet. You know…with setting up work and everything."

She almost regretted her words when she watched Callie's face fall in disappointment. She realized she had not even discussed her line of work with Callie yet…oh well, another conversation for another day. And as much as she wanted to spend more time with Callie, she needed to set some things straight first, starting with Mark.

'_Speak of the devil.' _Arizona frowned deeper as the man walked back into the room and took that as her cue to leave the two alone. Hating the look of discouragement on Callie's face, she smiled almost apologetically.

"But, Callie, I did have a really great time tonight. And you know…maybe another time we could do it again."

Callie suddenly turned away and rummaged through the bags from the party shop. She didn't understand exactly why Arizona suddenly was acting strange. She thought the night had gone very well and wanted to hang out some more. But it seemed that Arizona had other plans…literally.

But maybe this would be her saving grace, her one chance to show Arizona exactly how much she enjoyed spending time with her tonight and if she was lucky, maybe the blonde would change her mind and go out with her tomorrow after all.

Holding up the plastic tiara Arizona had worn earlier in the store, she placed it on top of the woman's blonde curls. She had bought the item when Arizona was busy looking at the different flavors of bubble gum near the register, and now she was extremely grateful for the last minute purchase.

Arizona's eyes lit up and her heart swelled at the tenderness of Callie's actions. No one had ever done something like this and as small as the gesture seemed, it meant the world to her to know that Callie truly paid attention and cared about her after knowing her for only a day.

Intentionally stroking Arizona's cheek very softly, Callie smiled and let her hand drop to her side as the other hand rested on the door. Their eyes met and Arizona felt her heart flutter as she tried to move, but was frozen in place.

Callie slowly started closing the door, but smiled tenderly as Arizona reached up to touch the tiara softly.

A soft whisper sent Arizona into a fit of emotions as she walked away, leaving the Latina with a heartfelt smile upon hearing her neighbor's soft words.

"Goodnight princess."


End file.
